


A Good Day

by FictionalTaco (Tacochu)



Series: Light Adventure Series [3]
Category: K-On!
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, F/F, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-19
Updated: 2017-07-19
Packaged: 2018-12-05 01:47:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11567778
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tacochu/pseuds/FictionalTaco
Summary: The party sets out for adventure, but not without hitting some bumps along the way. Who would've thought Mugi was so strong?The third installment of the Light Adventure Series!





	A Good Day

**A Good Day**

* * *

**\- 6:00 A.M. -**

The morning air was as thick in the streets of Toyosato, the only sources illuminating the cobblestone thoroughfares were the magical flames of the tall-standing streetlights scattered systematically throughout the sidewalks, and a single handheld lantern at the doors of the great hall of the city's adventurer's guild.

A very cold and sleepy Tsumugi Kotobuki stood outside the hall waiting patiently, wearing a blue check scarf around her neck which hid the lower half face as she stared vacantly at the cobble streets. Her eyes wandered around the closed storefronts that were usually bustling with activity, a facet of the city she grew up in that she never got to experience before. The serene atmosphere and dim street lights caused Mugi's mind to wander.

Out from an alley a couple hundred yards away, Mio and Ritsu appeared surrounded by a dim light, and were walking towards the guild hall.

The elf wore what she usually did in the days of the winter, a long wool jacket and pants underneath fur and leather armor, winter boots and thin fingerless gloves, over which she wore ornate leather armguards. She wore a shawl on her shoulders over which you could see the string of the recurve bow that she carried on her back.

Ritsu had also gotten prepared for the colder climate, a studded leather armor over a wool shirt and pants;, a cloak crafted from some animal's fur, which hid the two curved swords that were strapped her lower back, though still couldn't hide the familiar shape of her leather spaulders.

The couple walked down the street towards the guild hall, engaged in conversation, Ritsu gestured wildly with her hands towards the sky, Mio nodded and repeated the motion, Ritsu then laughed at her.

_Ah, they seem to be having a nice conversation_  Mugi thought, almost in a trance. She felt as if she focused really hard, she could hear what they were saying.

"Ahh! My hands are so cold!" Ritsu said while rubbing her palms together.

"I can't believe you lost your gloves again" Mio responded, somewhat annoyed.

"You say that like I lose them all the time"

"It's because you do"

"I've only lost two pairs of gloves in the three years I've known you"

"That's because I've found the other pairs for you" Mio retorted.

Ritsu pouted and turned her head away from Mio. She smirked.

"How about you help me warm up right now" She said, looking Mio directly in the eyes.

She pulled Mio's hand bringing her whole body closer, Ritsu wrapped her arms around Mio's waist and pressed her lips against the elf's neck,Mugi gasped.

Small puffs of hot air visibly emanated from the raven haired girl's mouth as her breathing quickened, she flinched as Ritsu's hands found their way into her clothes.

"Your hands are cold" she moaned, holding the rogue's head closer with her hand.

"That'll change soon enough" Ritsu whispered back.

Mio quivered upon feeling Ritsu's warm breath on her neck, she couldn't hold back anymore.

The elf pushed Ritsu back and against the door of one of the closed storefronts, and went in for a kiss. Ritsu stopped her short of their lips connecting.

"Are you sure? Right here?" the rogue whispered, feeling Mio's rapid breath on her face.

"Nobody's out here at this time" Mio responded, impatiently.

"What about Mugi?"

"Mugi?"

" **MUGI!** "

The blonde girl snapped out of it and back to reality, she saw Ritsu standing in front of her, waving her hands around. Her blush was concealed by the scarf she was wearing, she backed up slightly and greeted Ritsu.

"Good morning!" she exclaimed. Ritsu smiled back.

"Good morning! I see you're falling asleep with your eyes open"

"Well, it's very early in the morning" Mugi awkwardly laughed, and noticed that Mio was no longer next to Ritsu.

"Where did Mio go?" she asked.

"Hm? Oh, she went to the stables a couple blocks down to get the wagon"

Mugi smiled.

"Shouldn't you be the one doing that?" she asked half-jokingly.

Ritsu let out a small laugh that trailed off as her expression turned sour.

"I'm not allowed to prepare the wagon anymore" she said quietly, looking absent.

Mugi didn't question this decision from who she presumed was Mio, and continued the conversation.

"Toriko's far away from here, isn't it?"

"Around seven or eight hours on a wagon, but we're going to the town next to Toriko then walking the rest of the way there" Ritsu responded.

"It's a great place to stay, y'know, when it isn't being invaded by goblins"

Mugi smiled.

"I can only imagine" Mugi said, a vacant stare on her eyes. Ritsu couldn't help but notice something was off.

"Are you worried?" the brunette asked, the question took Mugi by surprise.

"No, uh," the girl stammered, "Well, maybe a little bit"

"About what?" Ritsu chuckled.

"I guess I'm just nervous about the whole thing" Mugi confessed.

"The whole leaving the city thing or the whole fighting thing?"

"Oh, I've left the city walls before, it's more the fighting bit I'm nervous about"

"Can you swing that sword on your back?"

"Y-yes?"

"And can you use your shield well?"

"I think so"

"Then you have nothing to worry about!" Ritsu reassured the blonde. "I believe you'll do fine out there, and if you don't, then we'll help you out!"

"I'm just worried I'll slow all of you down." Mugi moped.

"Oh, that's nonsense! We're a team now so we all have to help each other," Ritsu continued, "What you should be really worried about is what you'll do there while you're not fighting" Ritsu said mischievously.

"Really?" Mugi asked, intrigued.

"Yeah! Half the reward of missions like this is the sightseeing! You'll find out how Toriko usually is after we clean that place out"

The offer lightened the mood, Mugi smiled.

"I trust you can show me around then" the blonde said playfully.

"Of course!" Ritsu responded. "I'll show you a few spots only Mio and I know about"

"I'm looking forward to it"

Just as Mugi said this, a wagon pulled by two horses appeared down the road, the driver stopped it next to the girls and waved, Mugi and Ritsu waved back. Mio jumped out from the back and joined Ritsu and Mugi.

"Good morning!"

"Good morning, Mugi!" she responded with a smile "When we got here you were sleeping"

Mugi laughed nervously.

"Yui and Ui are already on the back. I'm just going to go into the hall and get something before we leave"

"We'll wait for you on the wagon" Mugi responded, she and Ritsu started walking towards the wagon.

"Um, give me a second, I'll be right there" Ritsu said as she stopped and turned back towards the guild hall, she ran for the entrance calling Mio's name.

Mugi got onto the wagon with a huge smile on her face.

"Mugi!" a familiar voice exclaimed as the blonde girl climbed onto the wagon.

"Good morning!" The voice belonged to Yui, who was sitting next to Ui at the far end of the wagon.

"Ah! Good morning Yui! Good morning Ui!"

"Good morning!" Ui replied.

Mugi took a seat across from the two sisters, she placed her lantern next to the one that was sitting on the floor of the wagon.

Yui was wearing her usual canvas pants and knee-high boots, but instead of her button up blouse she wore a short gambeson with a vest, topped off with a wool coat.

The biggest change was Ui, instead of her usual white gold-accented robes, she wore a suit of scale mail that shone a bright silver, covered in a tabard with a five stringed harp on it, she wore a kite shield on her back and a mace on her belt.

"You look quite striking in that suit of armor." Mugi complimented the cleric.

"Thanks!" Ui smiled "I haven't worn it in a while and was afraid it wouldn't fit well."

She shifted slightly in her seat.

"Maybe it is a little tight"

"Maybe it's time to get it refitted" Mugi commented.

"OOH! Maybe you can buy new armor with our share of the reward!" Yui suggested.

"That's a great idea, too! I know blacksmiths in town that would be more than happy to help." Mugi added.

"I'll be sure to ask you again when we return"

The wagon shook as Mio and Ritsu got on, Ritsu greeted Yui and Ui and sat down next to elf gave the signal for the wagon to start moving, and a strong shake of reins was heard with the shout of the driver.

"Whoa! Ui! I almost didn't recognize you in that armor!" Ritsu spoke.

"I was surprised too, when I saw you on the way to the guild hall" Mio added.

"It's from the missions at the temple" Ui revealed. "We used to go to contested zones a couple of years ago to aid the wounded.

"I remember that! You were gone for a few months!" Yui commented "I was so worried for you! Ui!"

The brunette latched onto her sister like a baby to it's mother, the rest of the group couldn't help but smile.

"I told you they made us wear this everyday, we almost didn't go into the actual battlefield" Ui consoled her sister, almost to no effect.

"But you did go sometimes!" Yui hugged her sister even tighter.

"Yui… I can't breathe!"

Yui didn't let go as the wagon wheels rattled against the cobble of the streets of Toyosato, they set out in the beginning of their first adventure.

* * *

**\- 12:00 P.M. -**

_Like a mountain: unmovable, many_

_Like time: Unstoppable, some_

_Undefeatable warriors are plenty_

_But none unfuckwithable like Throm._

Yui strummed wildly on her lute as Ritsu sang about the feats of the mighty barbarian Throm, a hero from lands far away. The rattling of chainmail and metal could be heard as Mugi and Ui clapped their hands and cheered.

"One more time!" Mugi yelled, unable to contain her excitement.

Yui nodded to Ritsu and began the epic once more from the top, Ritsu started singing once more and this time Mugi joined as well. This concert had been going on for a couple of hours, since Ritsu asked Yui if she knew a certain drinking song.

Mio stared out the back of the wagon, since she didn't know the lyrics to this particular song. she watched as the trees eventually crowded the sides of the wagon and the low cut grass of the plains turned taller and denser.

She knew that entering the forest meant that the town of Hadori was only an hour away, and after that it would take them another three hours of traveling the forest on foot to reach Toriko.

The singing stopped with a sudden crack, followed by the back end of the wagon violently crashing onto the dirt path. The five girls shrieked in panic and moved towards the front end of the wagon. Two panels of wood slid open and the girls saw the driver of the wagon, slightly startled.

"Is everyone back here fine?" The man asked.

"We're fine, Jean," Ritsu responded, "What the hell happened?"

"I'm not really sure myself," Jean admitted, "But it looks like you can't leave through the back end of the wagon, so if you could please exit through this end"

The five girls exited through the front of the wagon one by one, then swiftly ran to the back to she what was going on. The back end of the wagon lay on the dirt, with both back wheels splayed outwards like a newborn fawn.

Jean crawled under the wagon from the front end and assessed the situation

"Seems like the axle broke" Jean's slightly accented voice declared.

"That seems to be the only thing, miraculously the wheels didn't explode from the impact"

"Can- Can we fix that?" Ritsu asked.

"It's snapped clean in the middle, no way to repair that" he said as he crawled from under the front of the vehicle.

Yui was preoccupied petting one of the horses, while the rest of the group decided on what to do.

"If we really can't do anything about the axle then our best bet is for someone to ride ahead on one of the horses and come back with help" Mio suggested.

"That really makes a dent in our plans, we wouldn't arrive at Hadori until after sundown" Ritsu replied.

"That's true, but we don't really have any other options right now"

"We could always just take the essential stuff from the wagon and continue there on foot"

"On foot? That's still at least two or three hours"

"Beats having to wait two or three hours to get a replacement for the wagon, on top of the time it would take to get there"

"That is true"

"What if we fixed it using magic?" Yui spoke absent-mindedly from the front of the wagon.

Mio and Ritsu stared at each other, then back at the bard.

"What do you mean?" they both said almost in unison.

"Ui! Can't you fix the ax thingy?" Yui asked her sister as she walked towards the rest of the group.

"Hmm, I could try using a mending spell on it, but I would need someone to hold the axle together" Ui responded.

"Ohh" Ritsu spoke, kind of surprised.

"It's really cramped down there" Jean commented. "Can't really move the axle pieces if they're being weighed down by the rest of the wagon"

"Um, I could try lifting the wagon" Mugi suggested.

"EH? MUGI?" Ritsu was more than surprised now.

"Are- Are you sure?" Mio asked.

Mugi assessed the situation. She walked around the cart, judging how heavy it was. She returned to the rest of the group with a smile.

"Yes! I believe I can manage" she exclaimed.

Jean looked at the wagon intently, he unconsciously scratched the stubble on his chin.

"Give me a second" the young man spoke and promptly walked into the woods.

He came back short of a minute later rolling a short log. He propped it up vertically and confirmed it stood at least at chest height.

"We can use this to hold the wagon up" he spoke.

"Ohhh! Nice thinking!" Ritsu gave a thumbs up. "This way if Mugi manages to lift it, she won't have to hold it for too long"

Mio let out a sigh, and stared at the ground intently, thinking the situation through..

"Alright, let's give it a try" She spoke finally.

Mugi smiled, and walked towards the back end of the wagon.

She removed her scarf and looked down at the edge of the cart, which was slightly sunken into the dirt. She extended her arms and flexed them towards her, not satisfied with the freedom of movement she had. She removed her gauntlets and armguards, and placed them in the ground next to her.

She unclasped the sides of her breastplate and pulled it off over her head, placing it next to her gauntlets with a soft thud, then finally undid the straps on her spaulders and put them next to the rest of her armor. She stretched her arms freely across her chest, continuing with her lower back and finally her upper legs.

"Be ready to place the log under the cart" she told Jean while tying her hair up in a ponytail, Jean nodded while holding the log in his hands.

She planted her greaves firmly into the dirt, and with a straight back, she bent down at the knees to grab the handle at the end of the wagon.

Her arms situated along the outside of her calves, she closed her eyes and taking a deep breath, she accumulated the strength in her body. With a grunt, she sent all this energy down her legs and steadily drove her hips forward, maintaining tension in her arms.

The muscles in her arms visibly flexed as she lifted the wagon off the ground. When she returned to her upright position, the wagon now up to her waist, she took a step back and brought her arms midway up her chest.

"No fucking way" Ritsu exclaimed under her breath.

The whole group was dumbfounded. Even Jean who was supposed to place the log under the cart was watching in awe as the girl kept the weight up with minimal effort.

"Um, Mr. Jean" Mugi softly called to the young man.

Jean stopped being awestruck and propped the log under the wagon.

"Ok, you can let go now"

The blonde girl gently let the wagon rest on top of the log, she took a couple of steps back and let out a sigh.

"MUGI!" Yui leapt onto her and clung onto her shoulders, almost knocking her off balance.

"THAT WAS AMAZING!"

The brunette's warm presence was welcome in the cold of winter.

"Thanks, Yui" Mugi replied with a smile.

Mugi started donning her armor once more, starting with her spaulders. All the while being swarmed by the rest of the party.

"That was  **AWESOME!** " Ritsu exclaimed as she ran up to Mugi.

"Can you lift Mio next?" She asked the warrior

"NO!" Mio squeaked out. "Why don't you get carried instead since you're the smallest?"

"What's the point if she's not lifting the heaviest of us?" Ritsu answered.

" **WHAT?** " Mio exclaimed furiously.

"It's a joke! A joke!" Ritsu laughed nervously " _For the most part at least_ "

" **HOW WOULD YOU KNOW HOW HEAVY I AM?** "

"You don't remember that one ni-" She was interrupted by Mio, who now had her in a chokehold.

"NEVERMIND, I'M MISREMEMBERING" Ritsu tapped Mio's arm desperately for her to release the hold.

" **YOU IDIOT!** " Mio yelled exasperated, blushing and on the verge of tears.

Yui grunted as she tried picking up Mugi's breastplate, but she only made it budge slightly even with her greatest effort.

"What is this thing made of?" She grunted again in exertion, trying her hardest to even move the thing.

"It's simple steel armor" Mugi answered and picked up the breastplate with her hand, Yui was floored.

While Mio was still scolding Ritsu and Yui bombarded Mugi with questions about things she could lift, Ui and Jean were seeing to fixing the wagon.

"Like this?" Jean held the two pieces of the wooden beam that had been split in half together, pressing them against each other.

"Yes! Now hold them steady for a little bit" Ui grabbed a small statuette of a harp that hung from her belt, and held it in both hands.

The brunette closed her eyes and hummed a melody unknown to the young man, but altogether not unfamiliar.

The soothing voice of the cleric carried her thoughts towards the aether, the culmination of this faith focused on the statuette in her hands, which started emitting a faint light. Ui opened her eyes for a second, then focused on the image of the wooden beam.

The same glow that inhabited the girl's hands was now filling the seams of the split axle, as if it were nothing but a scar on flesh, the beam that was split in half was not anymore. The light faded from Ui's hands and as if nothing happened, the wagon was functional once more.

"There, that should be as good as new" Ui spoke softly to Jean, who was slightly entranced by the display of magic before him.

Jean gave a thumbs up. "Then I'll just check if the rest of the wagon is in working order"

Ui nodded and crawled out from under the wagon, joining the rest of the group who were now sitting in a circle around a small stump, sharing what appeared to be small meat pies out of Mugi's bag. She sat down next to her sister.

"Jean said- Oh, thanks!" She took the meat pie that Yui handed her, and continued.

"Jean said that he'll check the rest of the wagon to see if there are any more problems"

She took a bite out of the crescent moon shaped pie, her eyes squeezed shut as the ground meat inside the pie burned her tongue, she juggled it around her mouth and tried to blow air on it without spitting it out.

"They're hot." spoke Ritsu with a mouthful of pie.

"Well no use telling her now," Mio scolded her. "And don't speak with your mouth full."

"Yes ma'am" She responded lazily.

"Ui! Are you ok?" Yui asked her sister.

Ui nodded. "Just burned my tongue a little bit"

"Ah! I hate when that happens" Mugi exclaimed,. "Then you can't taste the food afterwards."

"Right?! And then you have a sore tongue for the rest of the day." Ritsu added.

"Maybe if you waited a minute before eating your food, you wouldn't burn your tongue so often" Mio also added, looking straight at Ritsu.

"Huh? You're the one who always burns her tongue when eating."

"Shut up." Mio muttered, taking another bite from the meat pie.

"But these are very delicious." Ui commented, having taken another bite. "Where are they from?"

"It's a pastry shop in Toyosato, Everything there is really good!" Mugi answered after she washed down the last bite of pie with a drink from her waterskin.

"We should go there once we get back!" Yui suggested, also finishing the pastry.

Mugi nodded. "I'm acquainted with the owners, they're a lovely couple."

"Ohh, I'm all for it." Ritsu added. "I'm getting tired of bouncing in between Fier's place and the hall anyways."

"It's a plan then." Mio declared. "I'm looking forward to it already."

"You know a lot of people in town!" The bard commented.

"That's the daughter of the Kotobuki family for you." Ritsu spoke proudly.

"Oh! Mugi! Is your family famous?" Yui inquired.

"My family owns some stores in Toyosato." Mugi answered, slightly embarrassed.

"Is the pastry shop your family's as well?" Ritsu asked.

Mugi shook her head.

"The owners have been friends with my parents ever since I was little." she continued. "My family owns a couple armories and a jewelry workshop."

"Ohhhh!" Yui exclaimed. "Ui! We can get you new armor there!"

"We'd love to have your patronage." Mugi responded with a smile.

Jean waved from the wagon to call the girls' attention, Yui waved back and continued to talk.

"A friend of us at the temple knew a lot about gems at the temple, but we haven't seen her in a long time"

"Ah yes, she left the temple to study under the tutelage of a wizard." Ui remembered, "I wonder how she's doing"

"I hope she's ok, I hung out a lot with her at the temple"

"There aren't many wizards who deal with gems, so maybe the girl at our workshop knows your friend?" Mugi wondered.

"That would be crazy!" Yui exclaimed, Mugi laughed.

"You're right, that would be pretty crazy"

"I think Jean wants us to go back to the wagon." Mio commented while standing up.

"Eh?! But we just sat down to eat." Ritsu complained. "Can't we stay out here a bit longer?"

"Yeah, my legs were starting to get cramped in the wagon." Yui also complained while stretching her legs in front of her.

"We still have plenty of food, too." Mugi added, taking out a small linen bag from her backpack and placing it on the makeshift table. "Mr. Jean must be hungry as well."

Mio stopped and thought about it quickly.

_Well, we have been on the back of a wagon for more than five hours, it's not like a small stop would make that big of a difference._

Mio saw the sweet rolls that were being passed around the table, the scent of the baked dough called to her like a siren. She let out a small sigh.

"I'm going to call Jean then." She took out her pocket watch and gave it a quick glance. "It's noon forty right now, we leave at a quarter past one."

The rest of the group cheered as Mio went and told Jean about their small pit stop, the young man nodded and after refilling the horses' feeder bags, he followed Mio to the makeshift round table where they sat down and continued to chat and stuff their mouths for the next hour.

* * *

**\- 3:00 P.M. -**

"Okay. one, two, three."

"Rice."

"Rice."

Yui and Ritsu looked at eachother with this mix of disbelief, happiness, and excitement. The rest of the group watched as the two girls shared an energetic high five.

"Finally someone who likes rice other than Mio." the rogue exhaled dramatically.

"I thought Ui was the only one who understood my love of rice" Yui sobbed.

"It's not like I especially like rice, Ritsu" Mio responded.

"Eh? Then how come you always get three servings whenever I make rice?" Ritsu questioned her.

"Because you always make too much rice!"

Ritsu wagged her finger and clicked her tongue at the girl, then recited dramatically:

_There is no such thing._

_As too many cups of rice._

_More rice is more life._

"Amen, sister!" Yui exclaimed, standing up throwing her fist in the air, almost punching a hole through the fabric covering the wagon.

"Sis, sit down or you might fall over!" Ui warned her sister.

"Don't worry, Ui! I am a master of balance!" the bard bragged while standing on one foot.

She immediately fell over when the wagon suddenly stopped, Ui checked to see if her sister wasn't hurt. Ritsu got up from her seat and went outside the wagon to see what the holdup was.

"I tell you we're here on guild business." Jean argued with a figure who stood atop the gate to Hadori.

"We haven't gotten a single word from the city." the figure perched on the gate hissed at Jean, hiding in layers of fur clothing. Drawing an arrow from the quiver in their back and nocking it on their bow, the figure demanded. "Now, tell me what's on the back of the wagon."

"Five of the most amazingly awesome warriors you've seen in your entire life." Ritsu said as she approached the front of the wagon, the stranger aimed their bow at her for a brief second.

"Ritsu?" The tone of the person standing on top of the gate changed completely.

"Is your eyesight really getting that bad?" Ritsu mocked her. "Of course it's me!"

The figure jumped down from the gate to greet the rogue. Ritsu extended her hand expecting a handshake and was met with a hug instead

"Yeah, a hug works too." She said while returning the hug.

"How did you know it was me?" the person pulled away their scarf and cloak, revealing a girl with a small mane of messy copper toned hair.

_Who else but you would stand on top of the gate like some sort of wildcat instead of sitting at the guard post like a normal person?_ Ritsu thought, but didn't speak.

"I just had a hunch." she said while breaking the hug apart.

"I haven't seen you in half a year! Is Mio with you?" the girl asked.

"Yeah! And some new friends as well!"

"Oh?" the girl interjected.

"What?" Ritsu asked. "Is it really that weird for me to be with people other than Mio?"

"Kinda" the girl answered. "Though I guess it would be more weird if she wasn't here"

"Ritsu! What's taking so long?" Mio asked from inside the wagon.

"Just a security check!" Ritsu responded. "Can you get the gate open for us?"

"Oh! Right!" she slung the bow on her back and ran into the small wooden cabin that was attached to the giant wood walls that surrounded the forest town of Hadori. Moments later, the huge wooden gates creaked open to let the wagon inside.

"Is this how it normally is around here?" Jean asked.

"Not at all." Ritsu responded. "They must be controlling access to the town since it's serving as a refugee camp for now."

"I see."

"I'm going to tell the rest of the girls to come outside while you go to the stables."

"Sure thing!"

Ritsu went to the back of the wagon and called the rest of the group out. They left the cart and stretched their limbs, finally free from the last hour of travel. Then Ritsu led them towards the girl who had held them up just minutes before.

"Girls, This is Hinako. Hina, these are Mugi, Yui and Ui."

"Nice to meet all of you! You can call me Hina!" she scratched the back of her head.

"Likewise! I'm Mugi" the blonde girl shook Hinako's hand vigorously.

"I'm Yui! And this is my sister Ui!"

"Nice to meet you." the cleric said.

Jean shook the reins and the wagon started moving once more, making its way past the wooden gates.

"I have to go report some things to the officials in town, can you show these three around while I do that?" Ritsu asked the copper maned girl.

"Sure thing!" Hinako responded.

"Hey hey, wait!" Mio stopped Ritsu. "Why are you the one in charge all of a sudden?"

"I'm the one who did the paperwork. So that makes me the brave leader of this troop."

"I did not agree to this." the elf complained.

"Do you want to be front and center when talking to the army officials?"

Mio's head couldn't deal with the possibility of having to talk to a scary, imposing military officer. She hung her head low and muttered a quiet "N-No"

"Then, I'll be off!" she stated, "I'll find you guys later!". Ritsu quickly chased after the wagon and jumped onto the back, disappearing as they turned on a street corner.

"Is this the first time you come to Hadori? Well, except for Mio of course." Hinako asked. The three girls nodded enthusiastically.

"Well then let me show you what the place is like, follow me"

The five girls crossed the threshold of the wooden gates, walking into the dirt streets of Hadori they walked between the rows of wooden houses, storefronts, fences and trees on either side. They approached the center of the town, where a magnificent oak tree stood astoundingly tall and wide, full of lush green leaves despite the winter having set in almost completely. Yui, Ui and Mugi walked with their mouths agape, wondering if they were in a fairy tale or not.

"It's…" Mugi was at a loss for words.

"IT'S SO GREEN!" Yui finished Mugi's thought, turning to Hinako and almost grabbing her by the neck of her shirt "WHY IS IT SO GREEN?"

Hinako answered with an audible smile, "That's our great Kashi, our blessed oak tree that doesn't go bare during the winter."

The three girls' wonder was palpable, their gaze wandered around the giant tree, noticing the small walkways and houses that were wrapped around the gigantic trunk.

"Do the leaves, well, fall during the fall?" Ui asked, Hinako nodded.

"It's a beautiful time of the year, if you don't mind the mess," she chuckled, "We try to make the best of it though."

"So all of those leaves fall down!?" Yui asked.

Hinako nodded again, "I- uh, the kids around here make giant piles of leaves and dive into them during the whole season."

Yui's eyes almost seemed to glow from excitement alone, "UI! WE HAVE TO COME HERE DURING THE FALL!"

Ui smiled indulgently, "Let's hope we both remember by that time next year." The five girls continued to walk down the main path of the town towards a more open area littered with small stands where food, grain, trinkets and even simple weapons were being sold.

"We call this place Main Square," Hinako said as she turned to the group, "It's not as big as the city's, but you'll find most things you need here."

Yui stopped dead on her tracks, as if something had struck her in the head and was now leading her around by her nose, she walked between the stands until she finally found the  _source_ , the place where that glorious smell was emanating from.

"Excuse me!" Yui called attention to the person behind the table, "What are these?" she asked while pointing at a giant pot filled with small little golden-brown seeds.

"These are roasted acorns! Dipped in our special honey mix before putting them on the fire! Would you like to try some?"

"Oh! Well if you don't mind…" The brunette grabbed a handful from the pot and started eating them, she rejoiced as the sweet and savory honey coating of the roasted acorns melted in her mouth, contrasted by the slight bitterness of the acorn. She continued eating the acorns without being able to stop.

"Yui! Where are you?" Her sister yelled from the crowd, having lost sight of her sister.

"I'm in heaven right now." Yui said while putting another handful of acorns in her mouth.

The rest of the group made their way to the stand where Yui was, and were similarly attracted to the giant container with acorns.

"Ah! You made it right in time for acorn season!" Hinako exclaimed as she grabbed a handful of acorns, "We end up eating a lot of acorns after fall because we end up with so many."

"So," the man behind the counter asked, "Buy a bag, won't ya?"

"How much is a bag?" Yui asked immediately.

"5 silver pieces," the man answered

"I'll take two!" Yui slammed ten small silver coins onto the table, which the man took gladly.

"Coming right up!" He said as he walked into the small cabin.

"Ah! It's a little expensive but…" The bard murmured while fidgeting with her coin purse.

"It is kind of expensive, that's almost as much as a 30 pound bag of rice." Mio added, a tinge of suspicion in her voice. "Hina, he's not trying to rip her off, is he?"

"I don't think so…" Hinako responded as she nodded towards the counter. The man came out carrying two big sacks over each of his shoulders.

"Two 25 pound bags of honey-roasted acorns." He said excitedly.

Yui's nervous excitement was mixed with worry and surprise, she turned back to the rest of the group as if asking what to do, she was met with head shaking and negative gestures.

_What should I do? On one hand I really want more of these acorns, but on the other, I definitely can't carry 50 pounds of them around._

She was visibly troubled and getting more upset by the second, her distress dissipated like clouds being swept away by the wind, a wind with very thick eyebrows, as Mugi walked over to the counter and grabbed both bags from the vendor.

"Thank you!" The blonde girl said as she took the sacks and slung them over her shoulders.

"MUGI!" Yui exclaimed as she clung onto her savior, "THANK YOU, I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO!"

"Don't mention it." Mugi responded with a kind smile.

The ensemble walked around the marketplace for some time, picking up random trinkets and snacks with them as they went. They exited the main square and continued towards the giant oak tree in the middle of the town.

As they were leaving the main square, Mugi stopped the rest of the group.

"Excuse me!" The rest of the group turned to listen to the girl carrying the two bags of acorns.

"Mugi! Let me switch with you!" the bard asked, Mugi shook her head.

"I just want you to help me put these in my backpack."

The rest of the girls looked befuddled and intrigued. They moved closer to Mugi as she put down both sacks onto the street.

"I don't think these two will fit in your bag." Hinako said with a puzzled look on her face, Mugi shook her head again.

"I'm sure they'll fit, my bag's pretty empty anyways." Mugi responded as she undid the straps of the bag she carried on her back.

By all means, it appeared to be an ordinary cloth sack tied with a piece of string. If anything it just looked weird in contrast with the girl's beautiful plate armor. Mugi set the bag on the ground and undid the string that was holding it closed.

"Here," she said as she opened the bag as much as she could, "Hold this open for a second."

Yui grabbed the edges of the open bag and held them open as much as the bag would allow, Mugi grabbed one of the bags and eased it down into the open cloth backpack.

The group's confusion only grew threefold as the canvas sack full of acorns disappeared into the brown cloth bag, and then even more as the second one did mere seconds later.

"Wha-"

Mugi took the bag from Yui's hands and tied it closed with the piece of string.

"What?" The entire group voiced their confusion as Mugi started adjusting the leather straps on the bag around her shoulders.

When she was finally comfortable with the bag's straps, she noticed how the group was closing in on her with inquisitive looks.

"It's a magic bag." The girl explained with a chuckle. All of the girls besides Yui decided to take this at face value and kept walking towards their destination.

* * *

**\- 4:30 P.M. -**

"How much can you fit in it?" Yui had been bombarding the blonde girl with questions for the last ten minutes.

"She told me 700 pounds, but I doubt I'll ever get to that" Mugi chuckled.

"Isn't it heavy?"

"Doesn't feel heavy at all, but then again not a lot of things do"

"Can I fit in there?"

"I don't think you want to try" She answered with a scared look on her face, Yui decided not to ask further.

Over the last few minutes of walking, the already gigantic oak tree had been increasing in size as they walked towards it. The small walkways and houses that were wrapped around the trunk were gaining detail slowly, dots turned into windows and torches, streaks of color turned into flags and banners, and the little moving figures that looked like ants transformed into people.

As they reached the top of an incline, the landscape around the base of the tree revealed itself, dozens of tents had been set up and were bustling with activity. The sight sparked up the curiosity in Yui once again.

"What's going on down there?" The brunette asked emphatically, her question was met with solemn silence from Ui and Mio.

"Are those…" Mugi asked timidly.

"Those are the refugees from Toriko." Hinako answered.

Yui's smile faded away as she gazed into the hundreds of people around the tree, the rest of the walk was silent. Upon reaching the bottom of the hill and into the refugee camp, the difference in perspective was palpable. Some people were crowded in small groups, talking and sharing an early supper; groups of kids ran around, playing and screaming.

They walked through the tents following Hinako closely when Mugi felt something tugging on her backpack, she turned around and saw a small tuft of messy black hair. A young boy who barely reached Mugi's waist backed off slightly, his big brown eyes were shimmering and he looked like he was about to cry. The blonde girl smiled kindly.

"How may I help you?" she spoke softly while kneeling down to the boy's level.

The boy took a step forward and tried to speak, but his voice wouldn't come out. The rest of the girls noticed that Mugi was lagging behind and called out to her.

"Mugi? Is everything alright?" Mio asked from afar, Mugi nodded in response as the rest of the group walked towards her. The kid shrunk back even further.

"Are you lost?" she asked the boy once more, the messy locks on the boy's head bounced as he nodded.

"Do you need help finding your parents?" The boy nodded again. Mugi stared at the ground for a second, lost in thought briefly, then turned around and showed her back to the little boy.

"Hop on, This'll help find your parents faster."

The kid hesitated and looked at the rest of the girls, they all looked at him as if giving approval. He walked up to Mugi and climbed onto her shoulders.

"Alright, hold on tight." The boy held onto Mugi's head as she stood up, and shut his eyes tight as to not get vertigo. "You gotta open your eyes if you wanna find your parents," Mugi teased.

"How did you-" The boy spoke, surprised.

"I got you to say something!" Mugi rejoiced, "It was a lucky guess" she smiled. The boy blushed.

They continued moving through the tents guided by Hinako, while the kid searched intently for his parents. They finally arrived at a slightly bigger tent, decorated with royal army banners staked at the entrance. The five girls and their new companion stopped right before entering, exchanged looks and then all looked at the unnamed boy.

"Where were you when you lost sight of your mom?" Yui asked, the boy looked away shyly.

_I think it's too late to be shy now._  Yui thought as she saw the kid sitting on Mugi's shoulders.

"Come on, now. We can't help you if you don't talk to us." Mugi spoke sternly, yet kindly.

The kid fidgeted with his hands and looked away nervously, and after taking a deep breath he murmured something. The party, unable to hear him,closed in around Mugi.

"S-supper." The boy said more clearly this time.

"You were in line for supper?" Ui asked, the boy nodded.

"Alright, then I know where we should go!" Hinako said confidently.

"Where are you guys going?" Ritsu whispered into Mio's ear.

Mio jumped back and squealed out of fear, much to Ritsu's delight, though short-lived since her smirk disappeared when Mio hit her square over the head.

"YOU IDIOT!" Mio scolded Ritsu, who apologized while trying to contain her laughter.

"Ritsu! Where did you come from?" a curious Yui inquired.

"I was in this tent going over the plans for tomorrow with the officer in charge of this place" she said while lazily pointing towards the big tent behind her. "I'll explain it as soon as we're done going to wherever we're going now."

She looked at the kid sitting on Mugi's shoulders, "Do I know you?" She asked, slightly puzzled. The boy shaked his head.

"This little fella' asked us to help him find his parents," Mugi responded, "He said he got lost somewhere around the line for supper."

"Ah, that shouldn't be far away from where we are." Ritsu added, "Let's get going then."

The five girls and the boy followed Hinako to the place where supper was being served, the line was just finishing up, and surely, they found the preoccupied mother of the boy searching frantically around the girls approached the woman who was relieved upon seeing her boy once again, and handed him over to her. The mother tried to offer some form of compensation, but the group refused politely.

After expressing their gratitude, the woman and her child left to get their share of food, and the group walked back towards the tent where they rendezvoused with Ritsu.

"So, how are you feeling, Mugi?" Yui asked, Mugi had a smile on her face since the boy reunited with his mother. The warrior nodded, and her tangible sense of accomplishment put a smile on the whole party's faces.

"By the way," Yui began, "Are we staying the night in one of these tents tonight?"

Ritsu's smile stiffened slightly, she remained silent for a couple of seconds before responding.

"Nah, sister!" She exclaimed, "We're staying up there!"

She pointed somewhere along the wooden walkways that wrapped around the giant oak, it took a minute for Yui to find the exact place but she finally recognized the guild's crest on one of the houses. She voiced her surprise and excitement in a long syllable.

"And we are going to go up there using that thing!" Ritsu pointed somewhere else along the tree, and Yui tried lining her view with the spot Ritsu pointed at, but failed to find what she was trying to highlight.

"What thing?" She asked.

"What?" Ritsu said as she also didn't find what she thought was pointing at.

"Well-" Hinako interjected, "The lifts are not working right now, so you're going to have to walk."

"What?" Ritsu asked again, completely befuddled.

"You better get walking or else you won't get there by the time the sun is completely down." Hinako mocked them, "I'll see you again tomorrow morning, nice to meet you all!" The party sans Ritsu and Yui all waved Hinako goodbye.

The copper-haired girl walked away nonchalantly while Ritsu stood there defeated, Yui was terrified at the thought of having to go up however many steps it was to get up there.

"Well, I guess we should start walking now." Mio suggested as she started walking, Mugi and Ui followed her while Yui and Ritsu stood in place.

"Well I guess it's never too late to look for a tent down here." Ritsu said while walking the other way.

"Yeah! Let's go look for a place down here." Yui suggested while following Ritsu.

They both stopped as they felt an arrow whizz past them and into the dirt next to their feet.

"Though going up the tree doesn't sound like a bad idea now that I think about it." Ritsu decided.

"Yeah, let's go up the tree." Yui agreed.

"And pick up the arrow, Mio's going to want that back."

"Yes ma'am" Yui said as she bent down and plucked the arrow out of the dirt.

* * *

**\- 12:00 AM -**

Hours after supper, and at the end of a long day, the five girls who had arrived that afternoon to the town of Hadori were sleeping peacefully in the beds of the guild lodging, when the slender figure of Mio Akiyama awoke from a restless sleep. She sat up on her bed and looked around the room, finding everyone fast asleep she stood up quietly and started making her way to the bed next to the door, the spot where Ritsu liked to sleep.

It wasn't the first time she had done this, on occasional nights before battle when anxiety riddled her thoughts and hindered her sleep, she would ask Ritsu to sleep close to her until, with time, they felt comfortable sharing the same bed. She reached the foot of the bed but didn't find the rogue sleeping there, Mio wasn't exactly surprised, but a worrying suspicion in the back of her head had been made correct. She walked back to her bed and grabbed a cloak made out of animal fur out of her traveling bag,and wrapped herself in it before walking out of the room.

After walking through the lobby of the lodge and out into the cold winter night, the elf tore a small patch of fur from her cloak and clenched it in her fist. Holding the scrap of fur close to her heart, she whispered an incantation to herself and then spoke Ritsu's name. The scrap of fur dissolved in her hand, as if being consumed by fire, it let out a puff of smoke that lingered in front of the ranger's eyes. Mio took a deep breath and inhaled the thin white smoke, coughing violently after doing so.

_I'll never get used to that_ , The elf thought, but now her direction was clear.

She climbed up the side of the lodge, making sure not to look down and carefully measuring each stride precisely. She climbed from window, to post, to window, and onto the roof of the wooden building. She closed her eyes and visualized Ritsu's direction again, she walked towards the backside of the building and reluctantly looked over the edge of the roof. She saw the tawny-haired girl laying back on a tree limb that was parallel to the lodge, her gaze lost to the pale winter moon.

"Hey" Mio greeted the rogue.

"Hey," Ritsu acknowledged her back.

"What are you doing out here" Mio asked.

"Just thinking" the girl laying on her back answered lazily.

"You know, you don't need to be out here to think"

"I don't know, I felt like I did"

"Aren't you cold?"

"A little bit" Ritsu was shivering slightly.

"It would be bad if you got sick before heading out tomorrow"

"I'm not one to get sick easily"

"I know"

"Then what are you worried about?"

"I'm worried about you"

Ritsu let out a soft chuckle, and spaced out again while staring at the moon until Mio broke the silence once more.

"Can we at least go back inside so we can talk about it?" the elf pleaded.

Ritsu looked at Mio, she was shaking as she lay looking off the edge of the slanted roof, Ritsu knew she wasn't fond of great heights.

"Alright, give me a hand" she said as she stood up.

The rogue prepared to jump the small gap between the branch and the roof of the lodge, Mio stretched her hand outwards and was ready to catch her. The girl jumped, but misjudged the distance between the two of them and reached just short of the wooden rooftop, barely grabbing Mio's hand as she slammed against the side of the lodge with a loud thud. The elf struggled to pull Ritsu up and they both rolled onto the rooftop in exertion, panting.

Ritsu burst out laughing, getting scolded by Mio to keep quiet, but she ended giving in to the tawny-haired girl's contagious laughter.

"Let's get down from here" Ritsu said as she shook the splinters out of her underclothes.

Mio held out her hand, and the rogue pulled her up to her feet. When the roof's edge came back into view, the elf regained the sense of how far up in the air they were. Ritsu let go of Mio's hand but Mio only grasped it tighter.

Ritsu looked at her in confusion. "Is your arm ok?" she asked.

"I'm fine, you idiot" the elf spoke, "Let's just get back to the ground floor already."

Ritsu smiled and continued to hold Mio's hand while they climbed off the roof and down to the front door of the lodge. Mio sighed with relief as they finally set foot in front of the wooden double doors,and hurriedly let go of Ritsu's hand.

"So, are you going to tell me what's wrong?" the elf asked as she adjusted her cloak.

"Oh, it's not a big deal" Ritsu answered.

"Oh really?" Mio snarked, "So you ran out here and were intending to spend the night out in the cold because of nothing?"

"I didn't run" Ritsu stated. "I just didn't feel comfortable sleeping in there".

"What are you talking about?"

"I just-" Ritsu let out a frustrated groan.

"Ritsu…"

"Why is it that I get to sleep with a roof over my head but they don't? I am the one responsible for hundreds of innocent men, women, and children being driven away from their homes; yet I'm given a bed and housing while they sleep on the ground, wondering if they'll ever see their home again"

"You are not responsible for this".

"Yes I am"

"It was a coincidence".

"So what if it was?" Ritsu shouted, choking back tears. "That doesn't make what's happening less real. It doesn't change the fact that it's because I was running around pretending to be a hero that these people are suffering".

"So would you rather not have responsibility for this?"

"No! That's not what I- I just-" The brunette's voice cracked, "I just want everyone to be happy"

"Ritsu…" Mio embraced the girl trying to comfort her.

"I know it's not possible, but at least I want to try" the frustration felt like needles in the back of Ritsu's throat, making it near impossible to speak.

"You can't throw your own happiness away in the process" Mio consoled her, "If you do then that doesn't count as everyone".

"I don't care about me" Ritsu cried out into Mio's shoulder.

"But I do. And Mugi, and Yui, and Ui, and everyone else," Mio said, "And if you say you don't care about yourself that means you don't care about us".

"Mio.."

"So you better let us help you with this, or else you're gonna make us all feel really bad" Mio sniffled and wiped away tears from her face.

"Mio, why are you the one crying?" Ritsu asked.

"I'm not crying, shut up" Mio choked out. Ritsu smiled and hugged the elf tighter. They both jumped when they heard sobbing coming from the other side of the door. Ritsu broke the hug to see where the noise was coming from, pulling open the wooden door.

Without the wood barrier holding her back anymore, Yui slumped over on top of Ritsu, big round tears rolling down her cheeks. The bumbling mess clung onto the tawny-haired girl, causing them both to fall to the ground.

"RITSU!" Yui cried, almost unintelligibly.

"Yui? Why are you crying?" the rogue asked, puzzled.

"IT'S JUST THAT- WE DIDN'T- AND YOU- AND THE WHOLE- YOU COULD'VE" Yui couldn't stop tripping over her own words.

"What she's trying to say is that we didn't know this was causing you to be so troubled," Ui spoke as she walked out from the lodge, "You could've told us, you don't have to do this alone" The cleric smiled.

"Besides…" Mugi also spoke as she appeared, "We're a team now, so we have to help each other out".

Between snot and tears, Yui finally strung a sentence together.

"YOU CAN COUNT ON US FOR WHATEVER YOU NEED"

"Guys..."

Ritsu smiled and hugged the bard tightly, trying to calm her down. She felt as if a weight that she had been carrying since the start of the week eased up on her chest, and tears started streaming down her cheeks. She laughed a kind laugh, a laugh full of gratitude, full of shared sorrows and of a growing sense of kinship, a laugh that enveloped them like a blanket and kept them warm on that cold winter night.

**Author's Note:**

> So, uh, it's the end of june, right? No? Well, shit.
> 
> It's Taco again, if you thought I had abandoned this then it's not your lucky day. I just was unable to write for the last week of june and the first week of july, so this is coming out now.
> 
> Anyways, I had fun writing this chapter. Lots of Moogs is always fun for everyone involved (or at least I hope so) I wanted to get into her relationship with the city of Toyosato, and I hope I can expand upon it in the following chapters (Yes! There will be more!) and just how good she is at handling stuff despite her lack of experience, she might make mistakes at first, but she faces it with a shining smile!
> 
> Next chapter is going to have more action in it like the first chapter did, so if you liked that then I hope you'll like it. Coming at the very end of july (this time for real)
> 
> Thanks for reading, and see you at the end of july. Taco out!


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